Draft gear



E. P. KINNE DRAFT GEAR Aug. 28, v1945.

Filed sepi. 21, 1942 5 SheeS-Sheet 2 Aug.2s,1945. E. P, KINNE v2,333,656

DRAFT GEAR Filed Sept. 2l, 1942 @Sheets-Sheet 4 l lo@ E. P. KINNEDRAFTGEAR Aug. 2.8, 1945.

Filed Sept. 2l, 1942 5 Sheets-Sheet- A 5 z "-V- L: v 'RN- INVENTOR.

Patented Aug. 28, 1945 UNITED STATES DRAFT GEAR' vEdmund .P. Kinne,Alliance, Ohio, assignor to American Steel Foundries, Chicago, Ill., acorporation of New Jersey g L L lApplication September 21, 1942, SerialNo. 459,087 z sfoiaims'. (ci. 21e-aser;y l

My invention relates to draft gears and more particularly to a generaltype of gear commonly called the barrel type utilizing clutch means atthe open end of the barrel and a compression' inserts during release ofthe gear, said turning moment being accommodated by a ball and socketengagement by the adjacent inserts, as .more fully described" in my,co-pending application, Serial No. 410,835,1'iled September 15, 1941,inthe United States Patent Office, now Patent No. 2,366,566', datedOctober 17, 1944, and myinventionkr comprehends in another modificationthereof anarrangement in which each' Wedge insert vacts independently ofthe adjacent inserts-and is supported' in the' usual manner'fr'om aprojection on the spring cap member seated on the'resilient means in thehousing.v I

Anotherv object of my invention is .to increasev manufacturingtolerances fory the friction' shoes by providing shoe tightenerl meansoperative to maintain all of the shoes in tight engagement with thehousing despite the fact that one orA more of said shoes maybe longer orshorter than standard. i

SA specific object of my invention isto design a draft gear such asabove described in which the spring cap supporting the shoes from theresilient means is a two-piece structure, the outer'porton thereof beingresiliently mounted on the inner portion thereof, each portionsupporting 'one ofA the twol pairs of friction shoes utilized, andtheportions ofv said cap being vafforded a rocking movement with respectto-each other.v

rangement will afford a tight seat against the housing for each frictionshoe despite `the fact thatone or more ofthese shoes may be shorter orlonger than standard. In onemodication I have illustrated myinventionias utilized in an oval housing in which oppositely disposedpairs of friction surfaces'engage respectively a pair of relativelylarge anda pair of Vrelatively small friction shoes, and in an- It willbe understood, as hereinafter discussed, that this arother modication I.have illustrated my invention as utilized in an arrangement in which twopairs of identicalshoes seat against complemen tary surfaces on thehousing.

A further object of my invention ris to provide a" shoe tightener springcap ofthe type above de'- scribed in which `the outer :portion of the,capv

supports not only the associated friction shoes but also a pair of wedgeinserts associated with the -respective shoes in the manner aboveindicated.

My invention comprehends a novel spring cap comprising an inner portionadapted to seat on the associated resilient'means and comprising on' theoutersurface thereof Ya plurality of oppositely l5 vdisposed frictionshoe seats about the perimeter thereof, said inner portion alsosupporting a plu-` rality of resilient pads affording a'support for theouter portion ofthe spring cap which comprises a plurality of oppositelydisposed friction shoe seats z'ifon the outer surface thereof.

In my novel arrangement, the" inner Vand outer portions ofthe spring capare afforded a rocking movement with respect to each other whereby eachportion'may accommodate variance in sizes 1 l5fbetween the frictionshoes associated therewith as well as variance n'siZes between `saishoesand the shoes associated 'with'the other portion ofthe l cap.

In the drawings, l

- Fig. 1 isla plan view of the friction shoes and Wedge inserts'utilizedinonejmodication of my invention-and shown in-v assembled relationship,

the outer wedge'and the friction housing being l omitted.

:15" Figure 2`is a sectional view ofmy novel draft gear substantially inthe plane' indicated by the line 2--2 of Figure 1, thehousing beingfrag-` mentarily indicated and the wedge insert in the left half of thefigure' being shown-in elevation.

40G Figure 3 is a further sectional'view in substaniv tially the planeindicated by the line 3-3 of Figurev 1, the wedge insert at the lefthalf of'said figure and the righthalf of the outerportion of thev springcap being shown in elevation.

40" Figures land 5 are fragmentary sectional views corresponding toFigure 3 `but showing my novel springcapV shoe tightener utilized inconjunction with friction shoes of varying lengths.

Figures 6 to 8 inclusive show indetail' the ingy'ner portion ofiny`novel spring cap shoe tightener, Figure 6 being a plan lview takenfrom'the outer surface thereof, Figure 7 being a vie'w in elevationtaken fromthe bottom as'seen in-Figure 6,1and'Fi'gur'e 8 'being 'afurther elevational view taken from theright asseen in Figure 6.

Figures 9 and 10 show one of the identical resilient pads utilized inconjunction with my novel spring cap shoe tightener, Figure 9 being aplan view taken from the inner surface of said pad,

vand Figure 10 being a view in elevation taken from the bottom as seenin Figure 9.

Figures 11 to 13 show in detail the cross-piece or outer portion of myvnovel spring cap shoe tightener, Figure ll'b'eing a plan View takenfrom the outer face thereof, Figure 12 being a side view thereof, andFigure 13 being an end view taken p from the right as seen in Figure 11`Figures 14 to 17 inclusive show a modifica# tion of my invention, Figurey,14 being a view showing the clutch mechanism in elevation-withV thefriction housing and the compression'springs being shown in section andthe large shoes being omitted, Figure 15 being a plan view from the openend of the friction housing with the assembled spring cap shoe tightenerpositioned therevin, FigureV 16 being a plan view of the frictionshoes-and wedge inserts in assembled relationship within the frictionhousing, and Figure 17 being a sectional view taken approximately in'the plane indicated by the line I1`|1 of Figure 14, the left half ofFigure 1'7 showing a condition in which the inner portion of the springcap is moved outwardly to tighten the associated shoes, and the righthalf of Figure 17 showing a condition in which the outer half of saidspringcap is moved outwardly to tighten the associatedfshoes.

Describing my invention in detail and referring portion of the springcap also comprises on the outer face thereof and intermediate the seats44, V44 diametricallyY opposed recesses 54, 54, each of zoy first to themodification illustrated 'in Figures 1" to 13 inclusive, the barrel typehousing fragmentarily indicated' at 2 is of usual form andcomprisesoppositely disposed pairs'of internal arcuate tapering friction surfacesagainst which the friction faces 4, 4 and 5, 5 of respective pairs ofcpreceived within a recess 40 in said follower and seated thereagainstat 42.

The' inner portion 20 of the spring cap comprises cn the outer facethereof a pair of diametrically opposed seats 44, 44 adjacent theperimeter thereof and formed and arranged for engagement as at 46, 45with the pair of shoes 5, 6 (Figure 2), each of said seats 44,Mbeinginterrupted by a lug 48 received within a complementary recess 50(Figure 2) on the associated shoe 6 whereby the shoes 6, and the innerportion 20 of the shoe tightener spring cap are interlocked. The innersaidrecesses being `formed and arrangedfor the reception of anassociated resilient pad 56, said pad comprising a positioningprojection or lug 58 formed and arranged for reception within acomplementary recess in the member 2B, as best seen in Figures 3 to 5.Centrally and on the outer 'surface thereof the member 20 comprises asubstantially concave recess 60 interrupted by the opening B2 extendingthrough said member and formed r and arranged for reception of thesecuring bolt 34, said concave recess 60 being adapted for reception ofa complementary convex projection 54 on the outer portion or cross-piece66 of my novel shoe tightener spring cap, the projection 54 beingafforded normal clearance at. B8 (Figures 2 and 3) from the concavesurface 60,

The cross-piece 65 is shown in detail in 'Figures 11 to 13 inclusive andis substantially rectangular in plan view with the arcuate ends 1li, 10ccnforming to the contour of the periphery of the inner portion 20 ofthespring cap shoe tightener. Centrally thereof the cross-piece 66 isprovided Y with an opening 12 therethrough, said opening positelydisposed friction shoesB, '6 and 1, 1 may seat in the usual manner, eachof said faces being interrupted at 8` (Figures 1 and 2) by a flatportion in order to facilitate engagement of said face with theassociated surface on the housing, as

willbe clearly understood by those skilled in the f art. i

Each of the friction shoes 6, Gand 1, 1 comprises a ledge portion HJ indiagonal V-shaped face en'd gagement as at i2 .with the associated Wedgeinsert I4 as best seen in Figures Zand 3, one of said wedge insertsbeing associated with each shoe and being afforded a ball and socketengagement at I6 (Figure'l) with adjacent wedge inserts as more fullyVdescribed in mysaid co-pendingapplication, Serial No. 410,835. An outerfellower wedge l5 (Figures 2 and 3) engages the insert members I4, I4 atI1, I1 along complementary diagonal surfaces.

The friction shoes are supported by'mv novel two-piece spring capV shoeti'ghtener in a manner hereinafter morefully described. The innerportion 20 of said cap is substantially round in plan View and isshovvnin detail inFigures 6 to 8 inclusive,'said inner portion being seated asat 22 and 24 (Figures 2 and 3) on respective inner and outer compressionsprings 26 and 28, the opposite ends of said springs being supported inusual manner from the end of the `housing 2, and said inner portion 20'of the shoe tightener spring cap comprises on theinner face thereof theannular spring positioning flange'fll partially defining the opening 32accommodating the securing bolt 34, said bolt being of usual formand'projecting between the friction shoesA and-theI wedge inserts andthrough an opening 36in the outer wedge follower i5 for engagement witha securing nut 38 tion shoes 1, 1 are interlocked. On the inner facethereof,- the crosspiece `or outer portion of my novel spring cap shoetightener is provided with the before -mentioned convexv projection 164adapted for reception within the complementaryy Vconcave recess on theouter face of the inner por'- tion 2D of thespring cap and serving apurpose hereinafter more fully described.

Figure 4 isa fragmentary sectional view taken in the same plane as thatof Figure 3 but show` inga condition in which the shoes 1, 1 arerelatively short or the shoes 5, 6 are relatively long, in which casethe cross-piece or outer portion 66 of the spring cap shoe' tightener ismoved outwardly by means of the resilient pads 56, 56 to tighten theshoes 1, 1 against the associated friction surfaces. Under theseconditions the clearance between the projection B4 on the cross-pieceand the recess 6B on the outer surface of the inner portion 20 of thespring cap is increased as indi-4 cated at 82 (Figure 4).

Figure 5 is a fragmentary sectional view taken long, in which case themember20 is moved outwardly to further compress the resilient pads 56,

56 and to substantiallyy eliminate clearance as at 84 between;thecross-piece and; 20' ofthe shoe tightener.

Thus it will be clearly understood by those `skilled in the art that mynovel spring. cap shoe tightener iseffective to maintain both pairs ofthe` friction shoes 6, and 'I in tight engagement with the associatedfriction surface of the housing despiteY variances in the lengths of theshoes 6, 6- and l, and it will be further under'- stoodthat under theconditions shown in any one of Figures 3 to- 5 inclusive, either theinner or the outer portion of the spring cap may be permitted a: tiltingor rocking movement with respect to the other portion thereof in orderto accommodate variance between they lengths of the shoes 6, 6 or 1,. 1,associated therewith, saidtilting vmovement being accommodated by thenature of the engagement between the convex projection 64 on the outerportion of the shoe cap and the concave recess 60 on the'. inner portion20 thereof. As will bev clearly apparent to those skilled in the art theprojection 64 and the recess 60 function somewhat as a ball'and socketjoint to accommodate atv all times tiltingof either of the members 20 or66 without causing a tilting of the other. of said members. Thus, eachof said members may'tilt independently of the other to accommodateinequalitiesof length in the shoes associated therewith.

A different modification of my invention is shown in Figures 14 to 17wherein the housing |02 comprises pairs of oppositely disposed internaltapering friction surfaces |04, |04 and |06, |05 ytgainst which may beseated respectively a pair of relatively large friction shoes |08, |08and aY pair of' relatively small friction shoes H0, H0; A plurality ofwedge inserts |2, I I2 are disposed in. diagonal V-shaped faceengagement at ||4, |.4 with the respective friction shoes |08, |08 and||0, H0, each of said inserts being engaged with one of said shoes, andan ||6 engages the inserts ||2, ||2 at ||8.

In this modification, the inner portion of my novel spring cap shoetightener comprises the inwardly directed annular flange |22, seated onthe compression spring |24, and said flange is received Within thecompression spring |26 upon which the inner portion |20 of the springcap is also supported, said inner portion |20 beingfurther supported onthe compression spring |28 sleeved over the springs |24'and |26. Themember |20 comprises the elevated end portions |30, |30 each comprisinga tongue |32 received withinv the recess |34 in the -associated frictionshoe H0 for interlocking engagement therewith and affording a seat at|36 therefor, said end portion also comprising the elevated lug |38comprising a diagonal surface |40 formedxand arranged for engagementwith the associated wedge insert I2, On the outer surface thereof themember |20 comprises the concave recess |42 adapted for the reception ofa complementary convex projection |44 on the inner face of thecross-piece or outer portion |46 of my novel spring cap shoe tightener,said cross-piece extending between the end portions |30, |30 of themember 20 and being seated at |48, |48 on the spaced resilient pads |50,|50

recessed as at '|5|, |5| respectively in opposite` sides of the outersurface of themember |20.

The cross-piece |46 also comprisesthe spaced tongues |52, 52 receivedwithin the recesses |54,-

|54 in the respective large shoes |08, |08 and affording a seat thereforas at and intermediate the tongues |52, |52 the crossthe inner portion-|56, |56 respectively,

outer follower wedge v* piece |46 is provided with an outwardlyextending lug or` projection |584 comprising diagonal surfaces |60, |60at opposite sides thereof, said surfaces |60, |60 being, incomplementary engagement with the inserts I2, |-2 associated with therelatively large shoes |08, |08. y

A retaining bolt |62 extends through the springs |24, |26, and |28 andthrough aligned openingsin the inner and outer portions |20 and |46 ofthe spring vcap and through an opening in the outer follower. wedge I6for engagement with a nut |64 received within a recess |66 in saidAfollower wedge and seated thereagainst atV |68.

From a consideration of Figure 17 it will be apparent that when thelarge shoes |08, |08 are relatively short or the small shoes ||0, ||0are y relatively long, the outer portion or cross-piece |46 of thespring cap shoe tighteneris urged outwardly by the: resilient pads |50,to tighten the large shoes |08, 08 against the associated frictionsurfaces |04, |04 on the housing and thus increasing the clearancebetween the convex prouiection |44 on the cross-piece |46- and theconcave recess |42 on ythe inner portion of the' springA cap,

' as indicated at 4|70 in the right half of Figure 17,

andit will rbe further apparent that in a condition where the largeshoes are relatively long or lthe small shoes are relatively short theinner portion |20 of' the spring cap is moved outwardly to tighten theassociated small shoes. I0, I0 and to substantially eliminate theclearance between the inner andouter portions of the spring cap shoetightener as indicated at |"|2 in the left. half of Figure 17, v

It will also be understood as in the previous modification, that in theevent that either of the shoes |08, |08 is relatively short with respectto the other, the cross-piece |46 will be afforded a tiltingor rockingmovement with respect to the inner portion of the spring cap to maintainboth of rthe shoes |06, |08 in tight engagement with the associatedfriction surfaces |04, |04 and likewise, in theevent that either of thefriction shoes I0, H0 is' relatively short with respect to the other,the inner portion |20 of the spring cap shoe tightener will be permitteda tilting or rocking movement with respect to the cross-piece |46 tomaintain both of the shoes ||0, ||0 in tight engagement with theassociated friction surfaces |06,l |06 on the housing. The tilting orrocking movement of either portion of the spring cap with respect to theother is facilitated byV means of the convex contour ofthe projection|44 on the crosspiece and the concave recess |42 on the inner .portionof the spring cap, as will be clearly apand not limitation as variousandother forms of the device will, of course, be apparentto those skilledin the art without departing from the spirit of the invention or thescope ofthe claims.-

I claim: l l. In a draft gear, a housing comprisingan internal frictionsurface, friction shoes in enf gagement therewith, a compression springin said housing, a spring cap member onv said spring and comprisingoppositely spaced seats adjacent the perimeter thereof engaged withcertain of said shoes, `oppositely spaced resilient means adjacent theperimeter of said member: and supported thereon between said seats, 'ashoe tightener member supportedion said resilient means and comprisingat opposite ends thereof seats engaged with other of said shoes, andouter wedge means engaged with all of said shoes, said shoe tightenermember comprisingcentrally thereof a convex inwardly directed projectionreceived within a concave recess in the first-mentioned member to limitcompression'of said resilient means, said projection and recess beingformedand arranged to permit at all times a tilting action of either ofsaid members independently ofthe other to accommodate inequalities inthe length of the shoes associated therewith- 2. Ina draft gear, ahousing kcomprising an internal vfriction surface, two pairs ofAoppositely disposed shoes seated thereagainst, outer wedge means inengagement with said shoes, a compression spring in said housing, amember seated thereon and'engaged with one pair of said shoes, spacedresilient pads at opposite sides of the axis of said gear and mounted onsaid member, another member seated on said pads and engaged with theother pair of said shoes, and convex projecting means on one of saidmembers received within complementary recessed means on the othermember, said projecting means being adapted for engagement with thelast-mentioned member under certain operating conditions wherebyovercompression of said resilient pads is prevented, said projecting andrecessed means being formed and arranged to permit at all times atilting position of each of said members with respect to the otherthereof.

3.- In a draft gear, a housing comprising an internal friction surface,friction shoes in engagement therewith, a compression spring in said-housinga spring cap member on said spring and comprisingoppositely'spaced seats adjacent the perimeter thereof engagedwith'certain of said shoes, oppositely spaced resilient means adjacentthe perimeter of said member .and recessed therein between said seats, ashoe tightener member supported on said resilient means and comprisingat opposite ends thereof seats engaged with other of said shoes, outerwedge means engaged with all of said shoes,l and'abutment means on saidcap member and said shoe tightener member limiting compression of saidresilient means, said abutment means being Aso constructed as to readilyaccommodateat all times a tilted position of either of said members withrespect to the other member without causing a tilting of said othermember.

4. In a draft gear, a housing comprising an internal friction surface,two pairs of oppositely disposed friction shoes seated thereagainst7 aplurality of wedge inserts engaged with' respective shoes, a ball andsocket engagement between adjacent inserts, an outer follower wedge indiagonal face engagement with said inserts, a compres'ssion spring insaid housing, a member seated thereon and engaged with onepair of saidshoes,

spaced resilient pads at opposite sides of the axis of said gear andmounted onsaid member, another member seated on said pads and engagedwith the other pair of said shoes, and spaced projectionand recess meansonthe respective members centrally'thereof, said spaced Imeans-havingcomplementary 'arcuatesurfaces formed and arranged for abutment undercertain operating readily accommodate at all times a tilted position ofeither of said members with respect to the other.

5. In a draft gear, a housing comprisingan' internal friction surface,two pairs of oppositely disposed shoes seated thereagainst, wedgeinserts in diagonal engagement with respective shoes, an outer followerWedge in diagonal face engagement with said inserts, a compressionspring in saidhousing, a member seated thereon and engaged with one pairof said shoes and the associated inserts, spaced resilient means atopposite sides of the axis of said gear and mounted on said' member,another member seated on said means and engaged with the other pair ofsaid shoes and the inserts associated therewith, and complementary balland socket means on the respective members centrally thereof, said balland socket means being normally spaced apart but being formed andarranged for engagement under certain operating conditions to limitcompression of said resilient means.

' 6. In a-draft gear, a housingcomprising anl internal friction surface,friction shoes in engagement therewith, a compression spring in saidhousing, a spring cap member on said spring and comprising oppositelyspaced seats adjacent'the perimeter thereof engaged with certain of saidshoes, oppositely spaced resilient means adjacent the perimeter of saidmember and supported thereon between said seats, a shoe tightener meni-yber supported on said resilient means and com"-A prising at oppositeends thereof seats engaged with other of said shoes, outer wedge meansengaged with all of said shoes, and complementary l ball and socketmeans on the respective members centrally thereof, said ball and socketmeans being normally spaced apart but being formed andarranged forengagement under certain operatingV conditions to limit compression ofsaid resilienty means.

7. In a draft gear, a housing comprising an internal friction surface, acompression spring therein, friction shoes engaged with said surface,"

inner and outer spring cap members each engaging certain of said shoes,one ofV said members being seated on said spring, and resilient meansassociated with the other of said'members and operable to urge the shoesassociated therewith' into tight engagement with said surfacasaid re,` l

silient means acting independently of said compression spring, outerwedge means engaged with said shoes, and spaced bearing means on therespective members, said spaced bearing. means being formed and arrangedfor abutment under certain operating conditions to preventover-compression of said resilient means,and saidv bearing means beingso constructed as to readih7 accommodate at all times a tilted positionof either of said members with respect to the otherV thereof withoutcausing a tilting of said last-mentionedI member. l y

8. Ina draft gear, a housing comprising an internal friction surface,two pairs of oppositely disposed shoes seated thereagainst, outer wedgemeans in engagement with said shoes, a compression spring in saidhousing, amember, seated thereon and engaged with one pair of saidshoes; v

spaced'resilient pads at opposite sides of the axis of said gear andmounted on said member, an'- other member seated on said pads andengaged with the other pair of shoes, and spaced projection and recessmeans'on the respective members centrally thereof,l said spaced meanshaving complementary spherical surfaces formed and arranged for abutmentunder certain operating conditions to .prevent over-compression of saidpads, said surfaces being so constructed as to readily accommodate atall times a tilted position of either of said members to accommodateinequalitiesl in the length of the respective shoes associatedtherewith. y

9. In a draft gear, a housing comprising an internal friction surface,friction shoes in ven'- gagement therewith, a compression spring in saidhousing, a spring cap comprising, an inner member engaged with certainof said shoes, an outer member engaged with -other of said shoes, andspaced resilient means at opposite sides of the axis of the gear andcompressed by and between said members, outer wedge means engaged withsaid shoes, and complementary ball and socket means: onV the respectivemembers centrally thereof, said ball and socket means being normallyspaced apart but being formed and arranged for engagement under certainoperating conditions toA lim-it compresssion of said resilient, means.

1G. In a draft gear, a housing comprising ran internal friction surface,friction shoes in engagement therewith, a compression spring in saidhousing, a spring cap comprising an inner memb'er in engagement withcertain of said shoes,

an outer member in engagement with other of said shoes, and spaced'resilient means under compression between said members, outer wedgemeans engaged with said shoes, and complemen-tary ball and socket meanson-the respective members centrally thereof, said ball and socket meansbeingv normally spaced apart but being formed and arranged forengagement under certain operating conditions to limit compression ofsaid resilient means.

11. In a composite spring cap for a draft gear, a portion comprising aplurality of friction shoe seats on one surface thereof, another portioncomprising a plurality of friction shoe seats on a surface thereof, andspaced resilient means between said portions, said portions comprisingabutment meansl preventing overcompression of said resilient means, saidabutment means being formed and arranged to accommodate at all times .atilted position of either of said portions with respect to the otherthereof without causing a tilting of said last-mentioned portion.

12. In a draft gear, a housing comprising an internal friction surface,two pairs of oppositely disposed friction shoes seated thereagainst,outer wedge means in engagement with said shoes, a compression spring insaid housing, .a member seated thereon and supporting one pair of saidshoes, spaced resilient means recessed in said member, another memberseated on said resilient means and supportingl the other pair of 7saidshoes, and spaced projection and recess means` on the respective memberscentrally thereof, said spaced means having complementary arcuatesurfaces yformed and arranged for engagement under certain operatingconditions to prevent over-compression of said resilient means, saidsurfaces being so constructed as to readily .accommodate at al1 times atilted position of either of said members with respect to the othermem"-`- .ber without causing tilting of said last-menl tioned member.

13. In a draft gear, a housing comprising internal friction surfaces,friction shoes in engagement with respective surfaces, a compressionspring in said housing, a spring cap thereon enrespect to the othermember without gaged with certain of said shoes, a member outwardly ofsaid cap and engaged with other of said shoes, resilient means betweensaid cap and said member, outer wedge means engaged with said shoes, andspaced bearing means on said cap and said member respectively, saidbearing means being formedl and arranged for abutment under certainoperating conditions to prevent over-compression of said resilient meansand said bearing means being so constructed as to readily accommodate atall times a tilted position of either said cap or said member withrespect to the other without causing tilting thereof.

14. In a composite spring cap for a draft gear, a portion comprising aplurality of friction shoe seats on one surface thereof, another portioncomprising aplurality of friction shoe seats on a surface thereof, andspaced resilient means between said portions, said portions comprisinggagement therewith, inner and outer spring cap I l members eachsupporting certain of said shoes, resilient means compressed by andbetween said members,- indepe'ndent resilient means supporting saidinner member, outer wedge means engaged withV said shoes, and spacedbearing means on the respective members, said spaced bearing means beingformed and arranged for abutment under certain operating 'conditions toprevent over-compression of said first-'mentioned resilient means andsaidbearing` means being so constructed as to readily accommodate at alltimes a tilted position of either of said members with causing a tiltingthereof. o

16.v In a draft gear, a housing comprising an internal friction surface,friction shoes in engagement therewith, inner and outer spring capvmemltie'rs supporting respective shoes, spaced resilient meanscompressed by and between said r members at opposite sides of the axisof said gear,

gagement therewith, inner and outer spring capv memberssupportingrespective shoes, resilient means urging each member into engagementwith its associated shoes, outer wedge means engaged with said shoes,and spaced cooperating bearing means on the respective members, saidspaced bearing means being disposed. centrally thereof and being formedand arranged for abutment under certain operating conditions to preventover-compression of certain of said resilient means, and said Vbearing'means being so constructed as to readily accommodate atI all times atilted position of either of said members with respect to the othermember without causing tilting thereof.

18. Ina composite spring cap for a draft gear,

`an inner portion'comprising aplurality of friction shoe seats on onesurface thereof, an outer lportion comprising a plurality of frictionshoe seats on onev surface thereof, resilient means between saidportions, and complementary ball and socket means n the respectiveportions centrally thereof, said ball and socket means being normallyspaced apart but being formed and arranged for engagement under certainoperatingrconditions to limit compression of said resilf .ent means.

v.19.. .In a composite spring cap for a draft gear, a portion comprisinga plurality of friction shoe seats on one surface thereof, anotherportion comprising a plurality of friction shoe seats on a surfacethereof, spaced resilient means .between said portions, `and spaced cooperating bearing means on the respective portions, said spaced bearingmeans being formed and arranged for abutment under certain operatingconditions to preventover-compression of said resilient means and saidbearing means being so constructed as to readily accommodate at alltimes a tilted position of either of Vsaid portions with respect to theother of said "portions withouttilting said- .last-mentioned portion.,A

20. In a spring `capfor adraft gear, inner and outer portions eachaffording seats for asso ciated friction shoes, resilient means adaptedto be placed under compression between said por- ,1

tions, and complementary' ball and socket means of saidshoes and beingspaced from-the other of said shoes, outer wedge means engaging saidshoes, a spring in said Vhousing bearing against Athe inner of saidmembers, resilientl means between said-members and a projection on oneof said members centrally thereof i and presenting a convex -sphericalabutment surface Yfor complementary engagement under certain operatingconditionsl with a concave spherical abutment surface yonthe otherH ofsaid members to limit compression of said resilient means, said abutmentsurfaces being normally spaced apart and ysaid. abutment surfaces beingformed and arranged to accommodate a tilted position of either of saidmembers with respect to the other when said surfaces are in engagementwith each other without causing a tilting of said other member.

22. In a draft gear, a housingV having an internal friction surface, aplurality of shoes in frictional engagement therewith, spaced inner andouter members each bearing against certain of said shoes and beingspaced from the other of said shoes, outer wedge means engaging saidshoes, a spring in said housing bearing against the inner of saidmembers, resilient means between said members, and complementary balland socket means on the respective members centrally thereof, said balland socket means being normally spaced apart but `being formed andarranged for engagement under certain operating conditions to limitcompression of saidrresilient means.

23. In a draft gear, a housing having an internal friction surface, aplurality of shoes in frictional engagement therewith, spaced inner' andouter members each bearing against certain of said shoes and beingspaced from the other of said shoes, outer wedge means engaging saidshoes, a spring in said housing bearing against4 the inner of saidmembers, resilient means bevtween said members, and spaced cooperatingtion ofY either of said members with respect to' the other memberWithout causing a tilting of said other member. Y v

`EDMUND P. KINNE.

